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Automation & Control

Advancing with automation

Many, if not most, of us have heard of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Simply stated, it refers to the manufacturing application of the Internet of Things, or the interconnectedness of “smart” machines. Similar to what we see with…

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Alarm Management By the Numbers

Deeper understanding of common alarm-system metrics can improve remedial actions and result in a safer plant Do you routinely receive “alarm management performance” reports, or are you expected to monitor a managerial dashboard equivalent? What do you look for and…

Understand and Cure High Alarm Rates

Alarm rates that exceed an operator’s ability to manage them are common. This article explains the causes for high alarm rates and how to address them Modern distributed control systems (DCS) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems are…

Temperature profiling in hazardous environments

The technique of temperature profiling allows acquisition of temperature data from multiple sensors, then transmits the data to an automation system where control and monitoring software analyzes the data and takes action. This article covers the sensing devices used to…

Basics of continuous level measurement

The most common technologies available for continuous level measurement are ultrasonic, free space radar, guided wave radar, capacitance, gamma and pressure. This white paper looks at each technology and some typical applications.

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Flooded Condenser Controls: Principles and Troubleshooting

Flooded condensers are the prime tower pressure-control methods for total condensers that generate only liquid products, and although these control methods can be troublesome, a good understanding of their principles will help achieve improved, trouble-free operations Pressure is the most…

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Point-Level Switches for Safety Systems

Industries that manufacture or store potentially hazardous materials need to employ point-level switches to protect people and the environment from spills Safety is an important and common subject of discussion in the chemical process industries (CPI) today. Conversations on safety…

Process Safety and Functional Safety in Support of Asset Productivity and Integrity

Approaches to plant safety continue to evolve based on lessons learned, as well as new automation standards and technology In the chemical process industries (CPI), one incident can have a tremendous impact on the people in the plant, the communities…

Pepperl+Fuchs acquires a leading provider of HART protocol devices

  Pepperl+Fuchs GmbH (Mannheim, Germany; www.pepperl-fuchs.com) has acquired MACTek Corp. (Twinsburg, Ohio; www.mactekcorp.com), a leading provider of HART protocol devices. The move is part of Pepperl+Fuch´s strategy to further extend its integrated solutions offerings and strengthen its position in the…

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Smarter Sensors for a Smoother Process

Advanced sensors help reduce downtime, increase efficiency and safety As more and more advanced electronics, mechanics and software are employed within sensors, tasks that were previously managed by control systems or other tools for data aggregation are now being handled,…